Safety razor



May 13, 1941- o. M. DRlEss ETAL 2,241,986

SAFETY RAZOR Filed May 23, 1940 Patented May 13, 1941 ics.

SAFETY RAZOR Oscar M. Driess, Horace H. Seay, and Elmore J. Eckerle,Louisville, Ky.

Application May 23, 1940, Serial No. 336,868

8 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the single piece frame type,having an expansible resilient head, the opposite sides of which haveparts which when said sides are pressed together, Vare adapted to passthrough a slot in a wafer blade for mounting the blade with respect tothe head, yand which parts when the pressure is relaxed, expand againstthe opposite sides of the slot in the blade, retaining the blade inshaving position in the razor.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide the opposite sides ofthe frame with outwardly opening narrow blade seating channelsrelatively angularly disposed when in blade retaining position, for thepurpose of giving the proper transverse camber to the blade.

Another object of the invention is the provision of `a razor frame headof the type described, having a longitudinal outward-ly convexedcorrugation cooperating with the edge of a blade 1 Still another objectof the invention is the pro- Vision in a razor frame of the typedescribed, of an integral filler portion which automatically enters .thespace between the sides of the frame substantially in the plane of theblade, when the head is in blade retaining position, preventing yieldingof the blade when shaving, and over which ller portions the terminalportions of the free sides of the frame head ride when pressed together,permitting blade releasing contraction of the frame.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of .thefollowing speciiication, and throughout the several figures of which thesame reference characters have been employed to designate identicalparts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view .of a razor vembodying the features ofthe invention;

Figure 2 is an axial section through the frame head showing it in fulllines in expanded position, and in broken Ilines in contracted positionand'in relation to a razor blade;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 4 is an axial section through the head of that form of razorshown in Figure 3;

Figure 5is a `plan view showing a blade with a single longitudinal slot;and

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Figure 6 is a similar View showing a blade having two slots separated byan intermediate web.

Referring now in detail to the sever-al iigures, and first adverting tothat form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the numeral Irepresents the frame as a whole, which comprises the handle 2 and thehead 3. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the head iscomposed ofa single piece of sheet metal bent to form a bridge piece 4,the central part of which has the form of a longitudinal ridge 5 to thecentral part .of which the handle 2 is riveted or otherwise preferablypermanently affixed.

At each longitudinal edge of the bridge piece 4 the sheet metal formingthe head is bentY handlewards to form two trough-shaped members 6 and l.The sheet metal of which the head is formed is inherently resilient, atleast to some extent, and the resiliency of the rtrough-shaped members 6and 'I is augmented by the bights or rotund portions 8 and 9 of saidmembers, being of substantially U-shaped cross-section. The free sidesof the trough-shaped members are deflected inwardly toward the bridgepiece, and then folded outwardly to form the narrow blade seatingchannels Ill and Il. These channels open outwardly in oppositedirections, and when in blade retaining position they make an obtuseangle with one another, so as to give the retained blade I2 the propertransverse camber.

It will be observed in Figure 2 that when the trough-shaped members arein their relaX-ed position, that is to say, their position of repose,they carry the blade substantially in the plane of the bridge piece sothat the bridge piece projects between the blade seating channels andinto the slot of the blade. The broken line showing of the frame head inFigure 2 indicates that when the resilient trough-shaped members arepressed inwardly `they Iare distorted upwardly so that the blade seatingchannels ride over the bridge piece and can be brought together. The sumof the Width of the outside flanges I3 and I4 of the blade seatingchannels is slightly less than the width of the slot I5 in the blade, sothat when the blade seating channels are brought together, the blade isreleased and can be removed. When the parts are in the full lineposition shown in Figure 2, with the pressure upon the resilienttroughshaped members released, the normal resilient bias of thetrough-shaped members causes the lade seating channels to reactoutwardly against the opposite sides of the slot in the blade, retainingthe blade in shaving position. The protrusion of the bridge piece 4through the slot in the blade and between the blade seating channelsprevents the blade from yielding to shaving pressure.

'It will be observed from Figures 1 :and 2 that the outer sides of thetrough-shaped members are each provided Vwith an outwardly convexedlongitudinal corrugation I6 which serves not only as a guard withrespect to the 'adjacent edge of the blade, but by virtue of its smoothimperforate surface, it smooths and tautens the skin in advance of theapproaching blade edg increasing the safety feature of the razor, andimproving the shaving action of the blade. l

It will be observed also from Figures 1 and 2 that between the blade andIthe guard corrugafA tions I6, the trough-shaped members are proing thescope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.- Y AWhat we claim as our invention is:

1. In a razor, a frame comprising a handle and a resilient trough-shapedhead to which said handle is secured, the opposite sides of said headhaving substantial portions adjacent their free ends deflected inwardly,and having the marginal vided with the outwardly concave -corrugationsII and I8, each of which is formed with perforations I9 opening to theinterior of the head, and affording drainage passage for the lather andhair debris which would otherwise accumulate behind the blade edge landclog the razor.

In Figures 3, 4 and 6,'a modied form of the invention is shown, in whichthe bridge piece does not come up to the plane of the blade seatingchannels, and therefore, lacks the ller Vfunction which is present inthat form of the inven-v tion disclosed in Figures 1 and 2. The razorshown in Figures?, and 4 comprises a relatively narrow bridge piece 20,to which the handle 2 is xed. The trough-shaped members 2| and 22 andthe bights 23 and 24 extending only a slight distance handlewards withrespect to the bridge piece 20. Said trough-shaped members aresubstantially similar in their shape-features to the trough-shapedmembers shown in the form` of razor first described, in'that they areprovided with the narrow blade seating channels IU and I I, theimperforate longitudinal outwardly convexed guard oorrugations I6 andthe outwardly concave longitudinal perforate drainage corrugations I'Iand I8. Due to the fact that the bridge piece does not extend up to theplane of Vthe blade seating channels, the trough-shaped Vmembers in theform of the invention of Figures 3 and 4 define a single head chamberinstead of two head chambers, as in Figures 1 and 2, but this is arelative immaterial feature of the inf vention. The head in Figures 3and 4 is norso that a razor blade seated in the channels I Il and II isfirmly retained in shaving position in the head. The width of theoutside anges I3 and I of the blade seating channels is such that whenthe outer sidesY of the trough-shaped members are pressed together, theslotted blade is released from the blade seating flanges and can beremoved. Figure 3 specically shows a razor which can be employed with ablade such as that shown in Figure 6, in which two slots are dened by anintermediate web 25. The outside flanges I3 and I4 of the blade seatingchannels are discontinuous to form spaces 26 and Z'I for the purpose ofaccommodating the web 25 of theblade.

runderstood to those skilled in the art that the details of constructionand the arrangement ,of parts as herein described and illustrated are byway of example, and not to be construed as limitportions adjacent theirfree ends deected outwardly to form narrow blade seating channels,normally biased outwardly relative to one another lfor coacting with theopposite slot sides of a slotted'blade seated in sai-d channels.

2. In a razor, as claimed in claim 1, said channels being relativelydisposed at a 'proper obtuse angle to give transverse camber to theblade.

3. In a razor, as claimed in claim'l, the sides of said frame beingformed with longitudinal outwardly convexed skin smoothing corrugationspositioned to be adjacent the edges of the blade mounted in said seatingchannels, and to serve as guards for the edges of said blade. y

4.. In a razor, as claimed in claim 1, the sides of said frame beingformed with longitudinal outwardly convexed skin smoothing corrugationspositioned to be adjacent the edges of a `blade mounted in said seatingchannels to serve as guards for the edges of said blade, and havinglongitudinal outwardly concave perforated corrugations between saidconvex corrugations and said blade seating channels, for draining latherand debris to the inside of said head.

5. In a razor, a frame comprising a handle and a head, the latterincluding a bridge piece with resilient trough-shaped members dependingfrom its opposite longitudinal sides, each troughshaped member having asubstantial portionadjacent its free end deflected inwardly toward saidbridge piece, and having marginal portions adjacent their free endsdisplaced outwardly to form narrow blade seating channels normallybiased outwardly relative to said bridge piece for coacting with theopposite slot sides of a slotted blade seated in said channels, saidbridge piece extending through the slot in the seated blade and betweensaid blade seating channels, the terminal portions of said trough-shapedmembers being constructed to ride over said bridge piece underconstrictive pressure applied against the free sides of said troughmembers, whereby said seating channels may be brought together abovesaid bridge piece for releasing said blade.

6. In a razor, as claimed in claim 5, said blade seating channels beingdisposed at a proper obtuse angle to give transverse camber to theblade.

7. In a razor, as claimed in claim 5, the outer sides of said framebeing formed with longitudinal outwardly convexed Vskin smoothingcorrugationspositioned to be adjacent the edges of a blade mounted inSaid seating channels, to serve as guards for the edges of said blade.

8. In a razor, asy claimed in claim 5, the sides of said frame beingformed with longitudinal outwardly convexed skin smoothing corrugationspositioned to be adjacent'.V the edges of a blade mounted in saidseating channels, to serve as guards for the edges of said blade, andhaving longitudinal outwardly concave perforated corrugations betweensaid convex corrugations and said blade seating channels, for draininglather and debris to the inside of vsaid head.

' OSCAR M. DRIESS.

, HORACE- H. SEAY. ELMORE J ECKERLE.

